This invention relates generally to antenna support structures and, more particularly, to antenna support structures intended to blend in with their surroundings.
Antenna support structures are an increasingly common site in both rural and urban neighborhoods. To many, however, antenna support structures are unsightly and significantly detract from the appearance of the landscape.
Attempts have been made to minimize the problem by supporting a multiple of different antenna receptor members on a single support structure (so as to support multiple carriers and thereby minimize the number of support structures cluttering up the landscape). Such attempts at xe2x80x9cco-location,xe2x80x9d however, have not addressed the fundamental problem regarding the perceived ugliness of the support structures themselves.
Attempts have been made to xe2x80x9cdisguisexe2x80x9d antenna support structures as ordinary trees. However, such previous attempts have been largely unsuccessful. In most cases, the resulting appearance of the antenna support structure is unduly artificial and is, therefore, even more unsightly than an ordinary (undisguised) antenna support structure. In those limited cases where tree disguises provide a relatively authentic tree appearance, the structure is unduly complicated, expensive to build and expensive and awkward to maintain.
Also, such prior art attempts to xe2x80x9cdisguisexe2x80x9d antenna support structures have not addressed the problem of how to provide such antenna support structures with multiple antenna receptor types, so as to allow the antenna support structure to support multiple carriers.
In my presently pending application Ser. No. 09/620,921, I proposed a design for a unique antenna support structure wherein the antenna has the appearance of a palm tree with the antenna receptor members disposed within a cover which simulates a palm tree skirt. The present application discloses new variations on that design.